Genuine Oaxacan Alebrije

Artisan: Florencio FuentesHometown: San Martin Tilcajete, Oaxaca, MexicoCraftsmanship: Original Oaxacan Folk Art; Hand Carved from One Piece of Copal Tree Wood; Meticulously Hand Painted; Signed on Bottom by Artisan; Exclusive & Unique; Regal is the Only One in the World.

Fun Backstory: about Regal the Eagle: la Embarazada

The breeze was of near gale proportions and the noise almost deafening as all of the eagles of Oaxaca, Mexico gathering for the Golden Eagle Conclave arrived virtually simultaneously and flapped their wings as they came in for a landing.. This was an unscheduled meeting, called to deal with a particularly sensitive issue in the realm of eagle-dom. And, making it even more important was the fact that it might have international repercussions to the point that, theoretically, it could cause an international incident. That’s why virtually every eagle in the Oaxaca Region of Mexico was present, as no one wanted to be left out in the dark as to what was happening.

El Extranjero Norte, the “northern foreigner,” shuffled nervously on the visitor’s perch, waiting for the proceedings to begin. The center of everyone’s attention, and the reason for this special meeting, caused an uneasiness that was somewhat unsettling, and the visitor was glad when the proceedings were, in fact, called to order.

Conducting the meeting was El Bronce, the Master of the Sky. He was a magnificent looking creature, el Extranjero admitted to himself, but he was no where as near good looking as el Extranjero. Thinking thusly, the eagle from the north took an inventory of his appearance.

His head was red, with tiny tan dot markings. On the very top of his head was a reversed widow’s peak of beige outlined with gold, rust, and black lines. His eyes were big and black, and had a white and rust outline in an oval of tan.

His body was also red with the tiny tan dots. On the top of his torso on each side was a native American symbol marking of gold and rust. His front sported a huge diamond with a pinkish outline and darker pink dots. The diamond was actually composed of a configuration of small black diamonds separated by white “petals” in an intriguing array.

Noticing that everyone else seemed to be taking a survey of his appearance, he turned slightly so they all could admire his back. Turquoise with gold dots, it sported a cornucopia shaped configuration of tan dots that were outlined with pink dots. But the highlight of his back was located in the center - a large ant-like creature with eighteen legs.

Before he could admire his wings, El Bronce called the meeting to order.

“el Extranjero Norte,” he began, “we have called you here to discuss your appearance.”

“Aha,” the visitor thought, “I was right. They did call me here to admire me!”

“You see,” El Bronce continued, “as the National Bird of Mexico we golden eagles have need to maintain a high level of decorum where our appearance is concerned. And, even though we understand that you are in somewhat of a, ahhhh, shall we say delicate condition, we must ask that you do whatever is necessary to make yourself a little more svelte.”

el Extranjero looked down at what was, he had to admit, somewhat of a protruding stomach. Now, the comment he had heard when he flew in made more sense, for he had heard himself referred to as el Extranjero Norte, la embarazada - - the Northern Foreigner, the pregnant one. Promising that he would immediately address the issue of personal fitness, el Extranjero hurried out before anyone realized that he was not even a female!

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